Volume 1, Chapter 19: Eyeing Like a Tiger

Su Haoming’s wrist trembled, causing a few drops of tea to spill onto the back of his hand, scalding him.

As expected! They really had gathered last night to conspire! Were they plotting against him?

Before long, Lin Feixue arrived. She was dressed in her customary simple white robes, looking as if she were detached from the mortal world, yet she still carried that heavy alchemy furnace on her back and held fresh medicinal herbs in her hands.

The three of them exchanged few words, and the atmosphere remained thick with a subtle, heavy silence.

Lin Feixue set her burden down and ignited the furnace immediately. Liu Ruoxi began arranging the herbs in a new sequence. This formula was clearly more complex than the previous day's; Su Haoming could not even name several of the ingredients, sensing only an unusually dense fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Use your 'Purple Qi' to draw in the furnace flames," Liu Ruoxi instructed without looking up, her tone as natural as if they had rehearsed this countless times.

Su Haoming’s heart skipped a beat, though he kept his expression neutral. He complied, channeling a wisp of Primordial Purple Qi into the base of the furnace.

They had known all along that he possessed "Purple Qi"! How on earth had he been exposed? Could the system not even shield this during its update?

The flames surged, licking the walls of the furnace.

"Increase the intensity!" Lin Feixue suddenly commanded, her voice tinged with an undeniable urgency.

Out of the corner of his eye, Su Haoming saw Liu Ruoxi looking over as well. Her expression… it was impossible to decipher.

Damn it! Testing me, are they?

A surge of rebellious anger simmered in Su Haoming’s chest. Combined with the fear and frustration of the previous night, he stopped caring about caution.

If they wanted to play, he would play big! He wanted to see exactly what they were after.

He gritted his teeth, abandoned all restraint, and slammed a dose of Primordial Purple Qi far exceeding his usual capacity into the furnace!

Boom!

The herbs inside the furnace ignited instantly, reacting like oil thrown into a fire, churning violently. A dense, impenetrable halo of purple light shot into the sky, casting the small courtyard in a ghostly violet glow.

"Watch out!" Liu Ruoxi gasped, instinctively retreating half a step.

It was too late!

Within that blinding purple light, a strange, twisted, and struggling rune pattern slowly condensed, hovering directly above the furnace.

The pattern was neither seal script nor ancient calligraphy; its strokes writhed like living things, radiating a terrifying, primal, and ancient energy that made the heart stop.

[Warning! Detected an attempt by an unknown external high-dimensional force to establish a forced connection!]
[System barriers are under attack by an unknown runic protocol! Energy shielding dropping rapidly!]
[Warning! Warning!]

The shrill alarm nearly shattered Su Haoming’s eardrums. Simultaneously, an indescribable, agonizing pain erupted from every corner of his body, as if his bones were being crushed inch by inch or his soul was being forcibly torn apart.

"Urgh—!"

His vision darkened, his knees grew weak, and he had to bite his lip until it bled to keep from collapsing on the spot. He stared fixedly at the hovering rune and at Liu Ruoxi and Lin Feixue, whose expressions had also shifted dramatically.

"Stop!" Liu Ruoxi’s sharp command came a second too late.

Lin Feixue looked stunned, and she retreated alongside Liu Ruoxi.

The rune remained suspended in mid-air, radiating a heart-stopping energy fluctuation.

A dazzling light erupted, and a powerful suction force surged out, targeting Su Haoming.

Su Haoming felt excruciating pain throughout his body, as if countless steel needles were being driven into his marrow, making him nearly scream aloud.

The Purple Qi within him, now like a wild horse without a bridle, surged uncontrollably toward the rune, forming a conduit of violet energy.

"Damn it!" Lin Feixue quickly formed a hand seal, erecting an icy-blue barrier between the rune and Su Haoming.

"Senior Sister Liu, what on earth is this thing?"

Liu Ruoxi’s expression was grave. She acted with composure, bringing her fingers together to trace an arcane and complex trajectory in the air: "Freeze!"

The rune trembled, its light dimming slightly, but it did not dissipate.

Su Haoming gritted his teeth to hold on, while the system inside him issued frantic warnings: [Warning! External force attempting to establish connection! System barriers under attack!]

"Back away!" Liu Ruoxi shouted, turning to Lin Feixue. "The furnace is going to explode!"

Both women flew back several paces.

Su Haoming, however, remained rooted to the spot, unable to move.

The rune suddenly shattered, and a powerful shockwave of energy centered on the furnace erupted outward.

Boom!

The furnace blew apart into fragments that scattered in all directions.

The blast wave sent Su Haoming flying, slamming him hard against the courtyard wall.

His vision went black, and his consciousness began to fade.

At that moment, the system’s voice came through with startling clarity: [Emergency defense activated. Temporary barrier initiated.]

The world seemed to pause for a second.

Liu Ruoxi flew over and lifted the unconscious Su Haoming.

Lin Feixue followed closely, her face ashen: "How could this happen? This is definitely not a common alchemy phenomenon!"

"I don't know," Liu Ruoxi said while checking Su Haoming’s injuries. "Let's get him settled first."

Together, they carried Su Haoming back to his room.

Lin Feixue took his pulse for a moment and shook her head: "His internal injuries are significant, and his energy flow is chaotic, but his life is not in danger."

"Go back and check the records," Liu Ruoxi said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I have never seen this kind of Purple Qi before; it can actually resonate with ice-attribute spiritual power."

Lin Feixue hesitated: "Senior Sister, do you think what he has is that legendary..."

"Hush!" Liu Ruoxi interrupted her immediately, gesturing to their surroundings. "Walls have ears."

Lin Feixue understood, pulling out a talisman and pasting it on the wall. She whispered, "A Silence Talisman; it will last for half an incense stick of time. That Purple Qi is anything but ordinary; it is too similar to the 'Primordial Qi' described in ancient texts."

"Do not jump to conclusions," Liu Ruoxi shook her head. "The point is, why did that rune appear? It was clearly trying to devour the energy within him."

"Could it be..." Lin Feixue stopped abruptly, her face changing color, "The tracking art of the Cold Moon Alliance?"

Liu Ruoxi’s expression grew even more solemn: "We cannot rule out that possibility. If so, we do not have much time left."

"But the intelligence provided by our superiors did not mention any reaction like this," Lin Feixue frowned. "Unless… he really does possess what we are looking for."

Liu Ruoxi looked at the unconscious Su Haoming with a meaningful gaze: "Perhaps. Regardless, we must figure it out before the Alchemy Conference."

"Very well, I will head back," Lin Feixue said, rising. "The Silence Talisman is losing its effect."

Liu Ruoxi also stood up to leave, leaving Su Haoming alone, slumped on the bed.

He did not know how much time had passed before he was jolted awake by pain.

His back was soaked, his undergarments clinging to him stickily.

He struggled to prop himself up and looked around; he was lying on his bed.

Outside the window, the sky was a deep, inky black; the night was still young.

The events during the alchemy session… they were a blur; he only remembered those two women…

Before his eyes, the system interface popped up without warning:

[Emergency defense deactivated]
[System update progress: 5.3%]
[Warning: Detected at least two external forces attempting to locate the host]

Su Haoming’s heart skipped a beat.

More than just those two women? There were others?

Who the hell is targeting me?